


What's Really Important

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe, Children, F/M, Family, Friendship, Holidays, Humor, Post Bartlett Administration, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-11-30
Updated: 2010-11-30
Packaged: 2019-05-15 23:37:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14800124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: Some things are more important than others.





	What's Really Important

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

  
Author's notes: Alternative universe, total fantasy (or is it?)

 

 

Spoilers through end of series; possible spoilers for "Holding Hands on the Way Down"

 

 

Not mine, never were, never will be, but they consume my soul

 

 

Feedback and criticism always welcomed  


* * *

**December 7, 2018; Old Governor's Mansion, Sacramento, CA; 10:30 PST**

"Look at them. Rick will be stopping every ten feet to talk with someone," Ginger laughed.

"And Paul never met a stranger," CJ responded as the two of them watched their husbands, supposedly on a mission to procure drinks for themselves and their wives, talk with the soon-to-be Secretary of Agriculture/ex-congressman from the Iowa 2nd. "I hope you really didn't want that Manhattan."

"I'd give anything to not be able to have a Manhattan right now," Ginger said quietly.

CJ reached over to hug her friend. On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, while they were still in Napa, she and Donna had received the news that Ginger had miscarried.

"I know, and I'm sorry I mentioned it, sweetie."

"Don't be sorry. I'm just a little down, trying to be cheerful for everyone with the holidays and all. Rick and I thought about taking the kids away, maybe to the Caribbean, but the younger ones really didn't like the idea. They're hurting in their own way, and I guess they need the security of tradition."

"It is rough when things change," CJ agreed. "But that's why we're doing Christmas in Albion this year. Pad-, I mean Pat and the girls are putting on a good face, but they are really disappointed that Derrick and Natasha are going to Arizona for the break. We've tried to explain that just as Natasha is now part of our family, Derrick is part of the Montmorency clan, and also that the two of them had planned to take a three-week trip to Hawaii over the semester break before the accident. We thought that the change of scenery would help. To tell you the truth, for all his preaching about starting a new life with new traditions, I think Paul is just a little bit disconcerted also. He and Derrick have grown very close since he came back from Indonesia, especially after we settled at Berkeley and Derrick started practicing in California. "

"He wasn't that way when Deborah got married and moved to Alaska?"

_The Pleiades_

" _My Paul still has a lot of chauvinist ideas," Alicia said to Brianna. "Being a woman, Deborah was supposed to leave her family and join with her husband. And she's right, over the last few years, Paul and Derrick have become more than father and son, with a dimension of friendship added to the mix, whereas Deborah will always be his little girl."_

" _I know. Hugh was always that way about Tara and Gordana, much more than he was about Brian. "What about this for little Swithin?"_

_Brianna held up a fireman's outfit. The two women were wrapping Christmas presents_ _for the infants, toddlers and the babies that never made it to the outside world._

"Not as much," CJ told Ginger. "I'm hoping that having Joe with us will help. He'll be here until Epiphany, at least. Paul worries about Joe sometimes. He, Gwen, that's Alicia's sister, and Ned, her husband, are concerned about him living all by himself. But Joe values his independence and his friends, his life, in Jersey."

"Well, the place where he lives has very good elder services. And Sev does check up on him two or three times a month," Ginger reassured CJ.

"We know, and we really do appreciate it. It's really thoughtful of him to take time from his classes and other activities at Princeton to look in on Joe. Ah, more people!" CJ exclaimed as Glenallen and Ainsley Walken, along with Matt and Jessica Santos, came to the table.

"You missed a great meal, CJ," Jessica said as she bent down to kiss CJ's cheek.

"I'm sure we did, but with Clara and Alex getting married tomorrow, our weekend is a bit crowded."

"But we didn't want to miss Sam's last event as governor," Paul said, setting down CJ's grasshopper and his martini in order to shake hands with Matt and Glen before kissing their wives. "And as the best man, we really couldn't skip the rehearsal and the dinner."

"You aren't performing the ceremony?" Ainsley asked as her husband helped her sit down at the table.

"Clara's son is a Greek Orthodox priest; I deferred to him."

The orchestra, which had been on break, started to play again.

"Mrs. Reeves?" Paul held out his hand to CJ and led her to the dance floor.

CJ rested her head on Paul's shoulder as they swayed to "The Way You Look Tonight." She sighed as her husband's warm hand caressed her bare back.

"Speaking of the way you look tonight, did you see Gus' mother-in-law's eyes when you took off your shawl at the restaurant?" Paul asked.

CJ was wearing the high-necked but backless little black cocktail dress from two years ago, but had covered her back and arms with a lacy black scarf during the rehearsal at the church where Clara's son was pastor.

"I did. For a moment, I had second thoughts. I didn't want to overdress for the rehearsal, but I needed something for this shindig. Maybe I should have gone with the palazzo pants and silk blouse."

"Well, I like you very much in this dress. I just have to make sure that no one else likes you in it, at least not as much as I do, as I intend to like you in it, and out of it, later," Paul whispered throatily, briefly pulling her closer to him, against his groin.

**Embassy Suites, Sacramento, CA; two hours later;**

"I'll take a brandy, if you don't mind, sweetheart."

CJ knew that under normal circumstances, Paul would fetch the drinks himself. But with this being Sam and Morgan's last Christmas party as governor, almost all of the old Bartlet gang had made the trip to Sacramento. The hotel staff had crowded two extra love seats and three extra club chairs into the living/dining area of the suite, but every woman in the room was sitting on the lap of her man.

As CJ used her right arm to push herself off Paul, her left one jostled against Bonnie's right shoulder, resulting in Bonnie's champagne splashing onto Jean-Luc and CJ landing again on Paul's thighs. As she tried again, Paul gave her a helpful little push into an upright position. In the general laughter, no one noticed Donna's sharp glance in their direction.

"I guess we should be singing a chorus of _Auld Lang Syne_ ," Jesse Muñoz said to no one in particular. "I'm going to miss these events."

"Well, I've been given to understand that the White House is big enough for a Christmas dinner-dance," Morgan added. "I think I can throw something together."

"And we'll all be in DC for the inaugural," Ellie said. "We'll see each other then. And then again in January of '23."

"Why would we be there then?" Toby asked, his voice getting faster and higher in pitch. "What possible reason could you have to plan on being there in four years? You need to go outside - ".

"Turn around three times, and spit. And curse!" Bonnie and Ginger finished his thought in unison, giggling on the last syllable.

Then Ginger turned to explain to the others.

"It was mid-morning the day that President Bartlet won reelection, back in '02. Toby had mentioned something about writing two speeches, one if the President won, one if he lost, when - ".

"I asked why in the world he was writing the second speech," Sam finished. "Toby told me to go outside, turn around three times, and spit. Then Josh came in and when he heard about it, he told me to go outside, turn around three times, and curse."

"Well, Mr. President-elect, you - ".

"Josh," Sam said in a scolding tone.

On election night, not more than ten minutes after the networks had called the race, Josh had used that term to Sam for the first time.

"Wait a minute, Josh," Sam had said. Then, raising his voice, "Everyone, may I have your attention. In the office, during official business, in an official setting, that's fine. And, after January 20th, the same thing for Mr. President. But in casual conversation, in informal situations, we're all off the clock, or as much as I will be able to be. I was 'Sam' fifteen minutes ago; I'm still 'Sam' now. Unless the situation calls for 'You Fucking Asshole', or something similar."

"Yes, sir, Sam, sir," Josh said. "But cut me some slack. I've sixteen years of 'Mr. President' to get out of my system."

"I just wish I had had the nerve to tell you that, Josh," Matt Santos said. "You made me feel as if the fate of the free world as we knew it depended on everyone except Helen, the kids, and my mother calling me that."

_Mars (the men's place)_

" _I don't like it. I don't like it one bit," Leo muttered. "These younger folk have no respect at all, do they, Fitz?"_

" _Hey, Leo, times change. Damn! Throw it, for once! I don't care if you ARE a damned Throne!"_

_The other men laughed as the announcer's voice came over the field._

" _So now it's fourth and thirty-five. The Powers' return specialist is ready to catch the punt."_

By this time, CJ had returned with brandy for Paul and a glass of Irish Mist for herself. She gently lowered herself onto her husband's lap and leaned against his chest as his right hand slipped under her arm and casually played with the side of her dress where it was taped to her body. Surreptiously, Paul's thumb caressed the side of her breast, the tip of said digit coming very close to her nipple. Then, just as casually, Paul's hand moved down to her waist. As he took a sip of his brandy, CJ deliberately wriggled her butt on his groin, causing him to choke on the spirits as he fought to keep himself from reacting to her efforts.

"You'll pay for that later," Paul whispered in her ear.

"With pleasure," CJ whispered back.

And once again, Donna noted the interaction between the two of them.

Thirty minutes later, Margaret's phone rang. It was the mother of the friend with whom Brian was spending the weekend while the Hoynes' were in Sacramento.

"Sounds good to me, but tell Brian that John and I will be calling him tomorrow, and not to think that this is the last of it. I'm sorry that your plans will be spoiled."

At her husband's questioning look, Margaret explained that the two teens had managed to get hold of a six-pack.

"Elaine said that she and Gabe would tend to not let the boys go to the game tomorrow night with their friends, and to make them clean out the garage, but she wanted to clear it with us."

"I guess we'll have to let Bruno know, too," John Hoynes sighed. "The three of us may want to rethink Christmas plans. I mean, we don't want to deny the two of them their father-son time, but a ski trip to Montreal is sort of a privilege."

"It's not just Bruno and Brian," Margaret said. "It's the grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. You don't want to punish all of _them_ just because Brian drank some beer. And the Gianelli's might not consider it to be that much of a crime."

"Are you stereotyping us Italians?" Donna asked with a laugh to indicate she was only half-serious, if that.

"Yeah. Remember, I was born a Borgia, one of _those_ Borgia's," Morgan added. "And in six weeks, I'm going to be First Lady."

"And I do have to remember that my outlook is colored by my alcoholism," John added.

"Which is not necessarily a bad thing," Paul opined.

Then he put his hands on CJ's hips and lifted her from his lap.

"And now, I think we'd best get to bed. CJ and I wish you the merriest of Christmases, the happiest of Chanukahs, and we'll see you in January."

"You won't be coming down to breakfast?" Ed asked.

"Early," CJ said. "We need to get up early and move over to the Marriott in Rancho Cordova, redeem our kids from the Muñoz clan, and get Alex and Clara hitched."

"Well, we'll be there, too," Jessica said.

"Us, too," Jesse chimed in.

"But we'll be sleeping in here and going over there in the afternoon," Nancy finished.

"I'm tired, myself," Josh said, "and perhaps too much of the drink taken." He stood up and walked over to the table where Donna was eating a cherry tart, stumbling once on the way. "Take those back with us, my good wife. Let's call it a night also."

Five minutes later and five floors lower, the two couples were standing outside of Josh and Donna's room. CJ and Donna were taking a long time to say their farewells.

"You would think they were parting forever," Josh grumbled and yawned. "You ladies were together three weeks ago and you'll be together again in six. I'm drunk and I want to sleep." He leaned his head against Donna's back.

"And I'm slightly sloshed," Paul added. "Plus, I've got a brother to get married. Move your fanny, woman." Paul lowered his hand from CJ's waist to said posterior and pushed her down the hall in the direction of their room.

CJ giggled as she walked and thought to herself, who are you, and what have you done with my husband? Twice in one night. Like the time earlier, Paul's hand on her butt could in no way be considered much more than an assisting gesture. There wasn't even enough force to generate the little wave a vibration from rear to front, the one that she had so often experienced at Danny's hand, the one that so often led, either within a few minutes or later in the evening, to one or more full-blown orgasms.

" _Good!" Danny muttered to himself. It wasn't that he wanted to deny CJ physical pleasure. It was just that he took some satisfaction in knowing that there were still some things that belonged to CJ and him alone. Then he joined in the cheer._

" _Block that kick! Block that kick!"_

_Danny wasn't really rooting for the Powers. It was just that, after three overtimes, the game was exciting and he didn't want to see it end._

It was just that CJ felt happy that Paul was able to relax enough with her friends, actually now their friends, to let down his guard and enjoy himself. In one sense, it was a shame that they had to get up relatively early tomorrow, to redeem their kids, and to do everything involved with the wedding. It would have been nice to have spent the morning in bed, doing delightful things with each other.

CJ stood aside as Paul fumbled with the room key card. She was about to take it from his hand when the door finally opened.

Once inside the room, Paul pulled CJ into his arms. As his mouth worked hers and his finger gently pulled the tape that held the sides of her dress to her body, CJ realized that Paul was not as sloshed, to use his word, as he had implied. She giggled again as he backed her to the bed and pushed her down. She giggled a third time as she reached for his belt.

**Twenty minutes later**

Donna smoothed her hair back with her right hand. Her left hand was similarly busy down at her stomach, entwined in Josh's hair. She sighed in post-coital satisfaction. Josh had obviously not been nearly as drunk as he had implied, even though, as usual, he couldn't work the room card key. It had been a very nice evening with an even nicer ending.

"Paul has certainly loosened up over the last five years," Donna said. "It's amazing, I think."

"Hmmmm," Josh mumbled.

"Do you think it's being with all of us?" Donna persisted. "I mean, he smacked her ass twice tonight."

"Hmmmm," Josh mumbled again. Maybe Donna would think that the sex they had just enjoyed, combined with the lateness of the hour and the alcohol he had consumed, had rendered his brain incapable of conversation. Because Josh had his own ideas about why Paul's behavior had changed and he wasn't sure he was free to share them with Donna. The conversation had taken place in an atmosphere of male confidence.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving, just after sunrise, Paul and Josh had joined Randy on an early morning ride out to the far hill vineyards of the winery. After Randy had taken some soil samples and adjusted some settings on the irrigation pump, he pulled some cups and a large thermos from his saddlebags. The three of them sat at a picnic table, warming their hands with the mugs of the steaming brew they drank.

"Congratulations again on your future second grandchild," Josh told Paul.

"Thank you. The feeling is so amazing, so astounding. I'm not sure how to describe it."

"Well, I think I can understand, having been there nyself," Randy said. "But this isn't your first. Well, it's the first chance of carrying on your name, I guess."

"There's that, I guess," Paul answered slowly. "But I think it's more the entire situation. Almost losing Derrick and Natasha, then worrying about his being able to walk, to function – the entire experience has made me realize what really matters, what is really important, in life. My relationship with God. CJ. The children, family. Friends. My peace with myself. All the other stuff – my career, my image as a black man in America and all the baggage that brings, my sense of what a man is – are all secondary to that. I realize that, at times, I let those secondary things take precedence over the primary things, and I've resolved to start changing that."

Josh mostly listened as Randy talked about his experiences with grandfatherhood. Hopefully, it would be a while, ten years at least, until he would put the advice to practical use, but you got your learning when and where it presented itself.

Donna's voice intruded into his musings. "And I'm pretty sure he was feeling her up under that dress when he thought no one was looking. Did you see it, Josh? Joshua?" She lightly slapped his head.

Josh had no desire to get into this discussion so he decided to muzzle his wife with the most effective tools at his disposal. He kissed Donna's navel, then trace a path down her stomach.

**The next day; Rancho Cordoba, CA; 9:15 PM PST**

Paul watched as Alex and Clara exchanged hugs and kisses with Derrick and Natasha. Then the younger couple came over to join the senior Reeves'.

"You're leaving?" CJ asked.

"Yes. Tasha is really tired. We'll be getting an early start home tomorrow. I've got a meeting with some officious lame duck congressman Monday that I need to prep for," Derrick answered.

"And I've got take-home exams to grade," Natasha yawned.

"You're not coming home first tomorrow?" Pat asked, manfully trying to hide the disappointment he felt.

Paul had the same reaction at first. Prior to the wedding, Derrick would most likely have come back to the Bay area with the family and would have stayed for supper, leaving about 8:00 for San Luis Obispo. If there was nothing pressing at the foundation, he might even have stayed overnight, leaving at 6:00 on Monday morning.

Over the past four or five years, Paul had grown very close to Derrick. Derrick had become friend as well as son. With Derrick's graduation and his move first to San Francisco and then down the coast, the young man had become a vital part of the family, always at the ready to volunteer whenever needed. But now Derrick was a husband, and would soon be a father. Natasha, the child she carried, and, hopefully, their future children now had first call on Derrick.

It was right, it was how it should be, Paul told himself. A man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife; the words Paul had read when he witnessed the vows between Derrick and Natasha, the words that had been proclaimed earlier today, the words that had been proclaimed five years ago in Napa. Paul would take quiet joy in watching his son become the man that Paul had trained him to be, by word and example. Paul knew that Derrick would always be his son, would find a way to fill both his new and his old roles.

But he felt just a twinge of sadness that their relationship would not be quite the same as it had been before Derrick had heard Natasha laughing at Bonnie and Jean-Luc's party two years ago.

**Wednesday, December 26; Albion, CA; 7:30 AM PST**

Pat Concannon checked the cocoa. Probably four more minutes. He set the timer and started the microwave, then went into the main room of the cabin. Climbing the stairs, he opened the door to the room where his sisters were sleeping.

"Come on! I've got everything ready!"

Dansha bounded out of bed and ran for the bathroom while Caitlin stretched. then Caitlin used the facilities while Pat and Dansha crept down the stairs.

Pat took the big glass bowl of cocoa from the microwave and ladled the hot liquid into the insulated coffee pot while Caitlin put six cups and some napkins on a tray. She handed the tray to Dansha and picked up the basket of cinnamon rolls wrapped up in a clean dish towel. With Pat carrying the cocoa, the three of them went up to their parents' bedroom door and started singing.

"We wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!"

Once Mama and Papa told them to come in, Pat set down the pot of cocoa and went to the other bedroom to get Grandpa Joe and the six of them drank cocoa and ate cinnamon rolls on Mama and Papa's bed.

It should have been cinnamon toast, but Mama still didn't want Pat to use the stove, so he had to make do with the rolls.

It should have happened yesterday, on Christmas morning, but Caitlin and Dansha would see the tree when they came downstairs and would want to open presents right away. There would be no way to pretend that Santa came while they were eating in Mama and Papa's bedroom. And even if they had been home, Grandpa Joe would be sleeping in the guest wing, and they would have had to get him up first. Pat had had to modify the custom, but the important part of the custom, all of them eating breakfast, or at least a pre-breakfast, together on the bed, was still taking place, even though Derrick wasn't with them.

Papa had explained that just as they had made room in their family for first Tom and now Natasha, Natasha's family had made room in their group for Derrick and that was why they had to share Derrick with the Montmorency's. And in a year or two, when the baby was a little older, Derrick and Natasha would want him or her to have Christmas in their house, to have Santa Claus come to their own living room and put the presents under their own tree.

Pat knew that he had been really, really lucky, these past five years, to have had Derrick in his life. Derrick was his brother, but he was special. Derrick was a grown up, but he wasn't a parent (except when he was watching them for Mama and Papa) or a teacher or a neighbor. Derrick had been able to help Pat, first helping him to adapt to being without Daddy, and then helping him to understand what Papa expected from him.

Now Derrick was married, with a wife like Mama, and soon to be a father, with a kid. Soon Pat would have another nephew or a niece, one that would be close by, not like Deborah and Tom's Joey, all the way up in Alaska. Soon it would be his turn to be the special relative, the uncle that was a grown up (or almost one) but not a parent or a teacher or a neighbor. It would be his turn to tell his little nephew or niece (and Pat hoped for the former) all the rules, the ones Pat was sure that Derrick would want, like never, never lying about doing something wrong, or bad, or stupid.

They would be going back home the day after tomorrow, and then Derrick and Natasha would come up the next day and they would have another Christmas. The exact day wasn't important, Pat decided; being with his family was the important thing.

And just maybe, he and Derrick would find some time to talk, to be brothers, just the two of them. He would explain some things to Derrick and maybe, just maybe, Derrick could help him convince Mama and Papa that he was old enough to use the toaster, and maybe even the stove.

**4:15 PM**

CJ shifted her feet against the armrest of the loveseat and put her head on Paul's shoulder. The day had turned out to be cold and drizzly, with even a couple of snowflakes mixed in with the light mist. The kids had expressed inordinate glee at the sight, then equally inordinate disappointment when the snow crystals melted on contact. Sometime, they needed to spend Christmas back East, or in Alaska with Deborah and Tom.

Anyway, Paul had laid a fire and now they were watching a DVD. Pat was sprawled on the floor with Hershey. Joe was sitting on the other loveseat, Caitlin on one side and Dansha on the other.

Paul had one arm around her shoulders and stroked the side of her jaw while his other hand pulled the quilt from their laps up to their shoulders. Then the fingers trailed down from the side of her face to her breast and cupped it with an authoritative caress.

CJ smiled. The kids had interrupted them this morning, just as things were getting started, and throughout the day the two of them were looking forward to the night, their glances, smiles, and casual little brushes against each other indicating what they were anticipating. She decided to respond in kind; she moved her left hand to Paul's thigh and squeezed.

Then Paul's left hand reached under the quilt, shifted her hand from his thigh to his groin, and lightly pressed down.

CJ's eyes widened. True, the kids were all thoroughly engrossed in the movie and the soft snores coming from the other chair indicated that the latest chapter of "The Chronicles of Narnia" was not exactly Joe's cup of tea, but, still - . She turned to Paul.

"You want me to - ?" she asked in a whisper.

"No! Not that," Paul laughed and replied at the same level and CJ noted the slight blush. "It just feels good to have your hand there. One of the advantages of being an older guy."

As she sat there under the quilt, the warmth of Paul's hand on her breast and the warmth of his genitalia under her hand, CJ thought about the changes the family had experienced this holiday season and the changes that would be coming in future years. With Caitlin starting first grade next September, it wouldn't be long before she either figured out about Santa Claus or was disabused of the notion by a schoolmate. And Dansha wouldn't be far behind. Paul had taken Caitlin into the city for lunch and to buy presents for his wife this year. Dansha had cried and wanted to go also, but Paul was gently adamant that this was a privilege for which his youngest would have to wait. But two years would go by quickly, at least for Paul and CJ if not for the little girl.

And so would the other years. CJ could see a time, if God gave them that long, when all five of the kids were married with children of their own, having Christmas in their own homes, and Paul and CJ's tree would have relatively few presents under it.

Perhaps they would be traveling to one or more of their children's' homes, like Joe. It wouldn't matter, CJ realized, as long as they were together, as long as they still had each other. That was what was really important.


End file.
